Digital Collections Specialist

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The American Baptist Historical Society seeks a creative and energetic professional to serve as its Digital Collections Specialist in order to develop a vibrant digital program.

The American Baptist Historical Society maintains the oldest and largest Baptist historical collection in the US, documenting the history of Baptists generally and American Baptist Churches, USA (the most racially and ethnically diverse Protestant denomination in the US), specifically. ABHS collections include books, periodicals, manuscripts, organizational records, and the beginning of a digitized and born-digital collection. Staff provide reference services, both internally and to the public by appointment.

Position Summary

The Digital Collections Specialist is responsible for the care and management of the American Baptist Historical Society’s digital collections, including official records of American Baptist Churches/USA partners, personal papers, and other historical records and/or digital objects. The occupant of this position also provides advice and training to ABC/USA denominational partners concerning the organization and retention of born-digital records to preserve the heritage of the denomination. This is a full-time, exempt position. The Digital Collections Specialist reports to the Archivist.

Responsibilities ​

establishing policies for collection and maintenance of digital collections;

developing and managing projects and workflows for processing digitized and born-digital archival materials;

coordinating the transfer of digital materials from a variety of current and legacy media formats such as tapes, floppy disks, CDs, and hard drives, and implementing mechanisms for ensuring the authenticity, preservation, and access of this material;

development of processes for the routine acquisition, preservation, and access of born-digital materials given to ABHS, including email, web content, social media, and other electronic records;

advising various constituencies on record-keeping of born-digital records;

occasional supervision and training volunteers and/or interns;

represent ABHS effectively through contact with researchers, members of the public, and professional organizations;

ongoing professional development and service activities;

very occasional travel, evening, and weekend work required;

other duties as assigned by the Archivist.

The Digital Collections Specialist will be closely involved in the administration of ArchivesSpace and any other collections management systems, and will collaborate with the Archivist, library, and IT staff of Mercer University on tools and systems for virtual collections access. Through research and retrieval, the person will support institutional initiatives and collaborate on the development of interpretive materials for web, print and small exhibits.

Minimum Requirements

Master’s degree in library and/or information science from an ALA-accredited program or a related graduate degree;

Three years of professional experience in a museum, library or archive environment working with manuscripts and archival material;

Additional Desirable Attributes

Professional experience processing digital records as part of a digital archives program;

Experience applying DACS and EAD and familiarity with Dublin Core and MARC;

Ability to work effectively and collegially within a team environment.

To Apply:

Complete this online application and upload a letter of interest, resume, unofficial transcript for Master’s program, and names and contact information for three professional references.

ABHS is a great place to work! We offer an excellent compensation package:competitive salary and benefits including comprehensive health insurance, generous paid time off and paid sick time, and employer-provided funds into a fully-vested 403b. We offer a safe, professional work environment located on the campus of Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Review of applications will begin March 5, 2018, and continue until the position is filled.